Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown
by beyondthisillusion2
Summary: Princess Rey Kenobi of Ileenium finds herself on the throne after her father's assassination. To be crowned she needs to take a husband, though by choosing from within her kingdom she risks factions and infighting. She chooses Lord Kylo Ren, son of the de facto ruler of Alderaan and the grandson of the man who'd once stolen her grandfather's inheritance. (Slow burn)


AN: Hello! I've been itching to write a historical AU for the Reylo pairing for a while and finally decided to take the plunge. This fic is very much based on the dynastic issues/fighting/claims of the Cousins War, or War of the Roses of English history. This first chapter if quite wordy regarding names and such, so bear with me please! This is cross-posted on Ao3. I'll be continually updating until they are at the same chapter.

Disclaimer: Lucasfilms and Disney owns Star Wars.

"The King is dead."

The colorfully dressed women, arranged around the queen upon her ornate chair, ceased their chattering and laughing upon the words of the messenger. Eight sets of eyes swiveled to the queen, their beloved matron, to await her reaction.

Queen Cleera Kenobi, formerly Lady Dameron, paled to the same shade of ivory as the linen held in her grasp. To her credit she did not cry out nor did she fall into tears as another might upon hearing of the death of their spouse. She was of proud, Dameron stock; she had been at court long enough to know that a slip of one's mask was all it took to send in the vipers.

The queen slowly set down the linen in her lap, rising after an even inhale. Her ladies hastily stood, no one daring to breach etiquette at such a critical time. The only female to not yet rise was still staring at the messenger in unveiled shock.

A gentle nudge from one of the older ladies-in-waiting spurred the princess to rise from her seat, her movements slowed as if she were trapped in a fog. A bead of blood burst from her finger where her embroidery needle pierced her skin, the pressure unnoticed during the messenger's announcement.

"Send for Earl Dameron," the queen ordered, voice clear if not as self assured as normal.

With that she strode toward her inner chamber, glancing at her chief lady-in-waiting as well as her daughter. The silent gaze was enough of a decree to fall in line behind the sovereign. Once in her bedchamber the regally attired woman allowed her facade to crumble. Her legs shook until she was crumpled on the floor, the velvet of her skirts pooled around her. A jeweled hand was pressed to her mouth to withhold the chest wracking sobs that threatened.

"Mother…."

The queen turned her watery gaze to the nineteen year old standing beside her, taking in the sheer terror visible upon her daughter's features.

"I thought….I thought…."

Rey allowed herself to be enveloped in her mother's arms. The familiar scent of rose water that her mother used to perfume her clothing did little to soothe the young woman, huddled in grief with the elder. She didn't need to finish her utterance, both women knowing what the younger meant to say.

She'd thought the bloodshed was over.

* * *

The Kenobis were of old, prodigious stock. They could trace their family lineage back to the earliest nobility of Illenium with ties to the throne. Through marriage a Kenobi ancestor gained kingship, setting up a glorious inheritance for those to follow. Her family ruled for four generations before King Carth Kenobi was overthrown by invaders.

King by right of conquest, Revan Sith of Talravin seized control of the country from the weak willed Carth. It was often lamented by the father of Carth that he did not have the same virility or drive for success as his younger brother, Atton, who was surely better suited for kingship. The limited military capabilities of Carth led to his death on the battlefield at the hands of a foreigner from the southern sea.

It was said that Revan meant to wipe away any trace of the Kenobi family to prevent a challenger to the throne. Under his childless brother's will, Atton was next in line for the throne. Yet Atton, the Duke of Stewjon, was unseated by the conquest of Revan, leaving the would-be-king in fear for his young life. Legend spoke of the tears of newly crowned Queen Bastila, the wife of the invader, who used her influence with her husband to spare the life of the thirteen year old prince. Whether it was his wife's pleas or the bloated confidence in his own heir, Revan allowed the young Atton to live.

Orphaned and separated from his elder sister, Atton was effectively put under house arrest in the heart of the kingdom, away from the borders of sympathetic Naboo and Yavin who may have raised their banners for his cause. The former princess and elder sister was safely married into a seemingly stalwart family, thus making her no threat to the newly crowned king. No one would back the son of the princess over a remaining male heir; to inherit through a maternal line was impossible when it concerned the throne. Kreia Kenobi's marriage to Rainor Hux gave her both refuge and a co-conspirator in returning her family to its rightful place.

The Jedi Knights, the most elite band of warriors in the kingdom, were severely curtailed during Revan's reign. Had Revan allowed them their full power he would most likely have been ousted.

Within five years pestilence swept through the land after consecutive years of harvests of little yield. The common people placed the blame of their misfortunes upon Revan and his invasion, fearing God was angered by his upheaval and was punishing them all for their sovereigns crimes. In an ill fated move to improve his image to the public, Revan released the eighteen year old Atton from his forced lodgings and restored him to a portion of his property. No longer a prince nor the Duke of Stewjon, he was granted the paltry title of Lord Stewjon. The demotion was seen as a fate no better than his former arrest for all the damage it did to his pride.

When the pestilence carried away Revan's only child he realized the dangers of his inflated ego. By thinking himself so secure in power and releasing Atton from captivity, he'd overlooked his own mortality. Displeasure among the nobles and peasant grumblings led to thousands backing the claim of the slighted prince. Within the year Revan was killed on the battlefield at the hand of none other than the young man he'd ripped the throne from.

King Atton Kenobi wasted no time in correcting the mistakes of his predecessor. He eliminated threats within the former court of Revan while promoting those nobles who remained loyal to the Kenobi line. Showing mercy as she'd done to him in the past, Revan allowed the widowed queen to reside within one of the expansive abbeys of Illenium. He restored the Jedi Knights to their full power, allowing them to induct new members for the first time in years.

Atton knew that outside alliances may have saved him years of imprisonment had they existed during his older brother's reign. He took to wife the niece of the King of Naboo, the closest neighbors of Illenium to the south. In marrying Ellaine Naberrie he secured a strong tie to the wealthy nation. Upon the death of his sister's husband, he sought a powerful match for her across the sea. Now returned to her royal title, she was once more a profitable player in the marriage market. That she'd already birthed a son proved that she was fertile,a most revered quality to have at such a time. With Kreia wed to Prince Hugo Skywalker of Tatooine, Atton created yet another link and ally to Illenium.

Ellaine birthed five children for the Kenobi line, with three living to adulthood. The only son and eldest child, Rasheen, ascended the throne upon his father's death. Rasheen was raised on the stories of his father's hardship and triumphs, leading to his utter devotion to continuing the momentum of Atton's reign.

To bolster the treasury, depleted from rebuilding and improving the kingdom after the fall of Revan, Rasheen looked to one of the wealthiest noble families. The former Count of Scipio left his young wife with only an infant daughter upon his death while fighting for Atton's crown years earlier. The infant was made Countess of Scipio in her own right and, upon marriageable age, became one of the most wealthiest prospects in the kingdom. With the other prospects paling in comparison, Rasheen married the Countess Miriam Clovis nearly two years after his coronation.

The kingdom prospered under the reign of Rasheen's son, Wakodur and his wife. Married to the eldest daughter of the king of Yavin, the Kenobis solidified another foreign alliance. Two children resulted from the union: a son and a daughter. Vesta, the first child of the royal couple, was joined to the Mothmas, a family loyal to the Kenobis since the time of Carth's reign.

The son and heir of Wakodur and Megrez, Obi-Wan, was lauded for his wisdom and skill at such a tender age. He was gifted in the art of combat yet could impress even the most learned tutors assigned to him during his adolescence. He was personally trained by the Jedi Council in the art of combat. His household was composed of other well-bred boys who studied and grew alongside him. The eldest son from the Windu family as well as a Skywalker boy were the closest friends of the young prince. Studying under the renowned scholar Yoda, the trio grew into adulthood together while honing their skills.

Upon Obi-Wan's ascension he placed both men on his council, trusting their opinions above all others. Mace Windu was more cautious than Obi-Wan's distant cousin, Anakin. Descending from the second marriage of their common ancestor, Kreia Kenobi, Anakin was a member of the inner circle of the royal family.

On a diplomatic visit to Naboo on behalf of his king, Lord Anakin Skywalker first encountered the youngest daughter of the ruler of Naboo, Padmé Naberrie. The two instantly became smitten with one another, leading the rash Skywalker to secretly wed the princess before his visit came to an end. The affront to both Obi-Wan and the royal family of Naboo at the unsanctioned union should not have easily been erased. Yet Kenobi, holding the man so dear to his heart, welcomed the newly married pair back to Illenium with celebration. Windu did not approve of the slight though his king could not see to punish his dear friend and kinsman over the breach of etiquette; with Anakin being a distant member of the royal family, his marriage should have been approved of by Obi-Wan and his council. Instead Anakin had flaunted royal rule by doing as he wished, not only insulting Obi-Wan but Illenium's closest ally of Naboo.

To reduce gossip as well as tension within the court over the sudden noble marriage, Obi-Wan once more sent his friend on another diplomatic trip. Skywalker and his wife journeyed to Talravin, the former home of the invader Revan, to oversee a trade negotiation. It was there that Anakin befriended Lord Sheev Palpatine, a nobleman of the Talravin court. Seeing in Skywalker a chance at elevating his station, Palpatine accompanied him back to Illenium.

It was to Palpatine who Anakin vented his frustrations over his station; his mother, a great lady in her own right, married Lord Skywalker in her early twenties. It was said that while Anakin's father served as Ambassador to Yavin, Shmi struck up an affair with an unnamed knight. There were whispers that Anakin was the product of the affair, though no solid proof ever came forth that Lady Shmi ever forsook her place as wife to Skywalker.

After the death of the elder Lord Skywalker it was revealed that many loans taken out by the nobleman had yet to be paid, unknown initially to his widow. Lady Shmi was forced to pawn much of her plate and jewels, leaving the noble family far less wealthy than their name would suggest. Applying to her husband's kinsman for aid, she was able to secure a place for her son in the household of Obi-Wan during his time as prince.

His family's wealth inadequacies were never forgotten by Anakin. With his link to the throne of Illenium as well as relation to the rulers of Tatooine, he felt more often than not that he should hold a higher standing in the kingdom. Palpatine fed into his complaints, agreeing that his new friend should be treated far more highly than he was currently.

Fueled by Palpatine's venomous support, Anakin nearly ruptured his friendship with Obi-Wan when he demanded the childless king name him as his heir. The king balked at the demand; Anakin claimed descent through a second marriage in the female line. The laws of the kingdom forbade such a claim, which Obi-Wan made to remind him of.

To diffuse the situation he doubled his efforts to seek a wife, having taken little interest thus far to find a consort. Under the recommendation of Windu he married the Duchess Satine of Mandalore, a young widow who carried her family's title in the absence of a brother. Within the year the queen gave birth to a son and heir, Prince Hamaal. Supplanted by a mere infant, Anakin retreated to his estate to lick his wounds. He ignored the king's invitation to court for the Christmas festivities, instead holding his own lavish celebration with his wife.

It wasn't until war was declared between Illenium and the kingdom of Dooku that Skywalker emerged into the public eye once more. It seemed that all was well between the three friends again: Kenobi, Windu, and Skywalker.

Crushing Dooku nearly to the point of destruction was far from what the passive Obi-Wan wished. While his councilors and generals argued on the correct method of achieving victory, the king sought a peaceful solution. A handful of skirmishes gave Dooku plenty of reason to doubt their intent upon claiming Illenium land. Seeking an end to violence before the larger kingdom destroyed them, a peace gathering was held. To Skywalker's utter outrage Obi-Wan accepted terms of peace.

The lack of leadership, in Skywalker's opinion, was the last straw. He acted upon the advice of Palpatine and declared his intent to take the throne that he claimed was rightfully his. His ancestor, Kreia Kenobi, had been the eldest sibling of King Carth, and thus higher in the line of succession than Atton. Ignoring the law regarding the barring of royal claims through the female line, Anakin led a siege on the capital of Coruscant with mercenaries hired through Palpatine from Talravin.

Obi-Wan and his family barely escaped the capital with their lives, not prepared in the slightest for the betrayal of his dearest friend. The royal family was chased to the western reaches of the kingdom where they crossed into Yavin, calling upon their long standing alliance for aid.

With Anakin seizing the throne with the aid of Palpatine and the Talravins, he called upon his wife's native Naboo to help keep it. Though entwined with the Kenobi line through previous marriages, the Naberries sought to protect their newly pregnant daughter.

Anakin took note of the mistakes of King Revan in underestimating the ability of the Kenobis to rebound from hardships. He ordered the arrest of the Lady Vesta, her husband, and their children in fear of another Kenobi retaking the throne. Charging the princess and her family with treason on false charges of aiding her brother, the branch of Kenobis were put to death.

Uproar arose throughout the kingdom over the heinous slaughter of the princess and her family. Those who begrudgingly accepted Skywalker over their distaste with Obi-Wan's handling of Dooku revolted at the ruling. Windu led an uprising that ended with his head upon the executioner's block. Seizing his chance, Obi-Wan invaded his former kingdom with the army of Yavin at his side and the support of the once more repressed Jedi.

The realization of Anakin's crimes in supplanting his friend, outright murder of his innocent cousins, and the death of Windu occurred in the form of pleas from his beloved wife. He rounded on Palpatine, blaming him for seducing him to such atrocities. The adviser expected that his former benefactor would round on him once news of the impending army reached the capital. When Anakin tried to attack the nobleman in retribution of his crimes he was faced with resistance from Palpatine's guard. Cornered at swordpoint with a pair of Talravin Troopers, he grabbed the errant adviser and plunged them both over the balustrade overlooking the entrance to the Skywalker estate. The plumett killed them both, ending the reign of King Anakin.

The kingdom rallied to the side of the returning Kenobis and helped to expunge the remaining Talravins. Although Obi-Wan had no intentions of taking retribution for the deaths of his sister and her family, former Queen Padmé fled the kingdom to her native Naboo. There she gave birth to a set of twins before perishing from childbed fever a week later. The twins were then separated for their safety, one being sent to distant relations in Alderaan and the other to their paternal kinsmen in Tatooine.

Peace reigned in the kingdom through the remainder of Obi-Wan's reign. He lived to see his son and heir wed to the Lady Cleera Dameron, daughter of the Earl of Arkania, as well as the birth of his grandchild. A daughter joined the Kenobis one late summer night after making her mother suffer through labor for nearly a day and a half. The girl, named Rey, was the delight of the restored Kenobis. Though a son was much desired, the princess signaled a return to normalcy and prosperity after the tumultuous usurpation of Skywalker.

Hamaal took the throne three years after the birth of Rey upon Obi-Wan's death. A series of miscarriages and stillbirths disheartened the royal couple. The king reluctantly came to the realization that his daughter, though beloved, would be his only heir. Whispers circled the court that Hamaal would put away his wife in search of another, younger woman that could give him the son that his family line required. He struck down the rumors by declaring the previous law barring female succession of the throne null, paving the way for Rey's inheritance.

Instantly talk arose of who the princess would be wed to. Though it was generally accepted that Rey would one day be queen, it was just as widely believed that she would be inadequate to rule the kingdom alone on account of her sex. If Hamaal was to perish before the princess made a match, or before she reached the age of twenty-one, the crown would be monitored by a regency panel of trusted noblemen.

Matches from Yavin, Tatooine, and even the far off kingdom of Generis were considered for the princess though all came to naught. It was feared that if a foreign prince wed the princess the commons would chafe against an outsider king. The question then shifted to which noble family would be selected to send a son to wed the future-queen.

The decision was never made in Haamal's lifetime.

'In and out, in and out'.

The silent mantra did little to calm the nerves currently swirling within the young woman. The heavy black velvet of her skirt jumped lightly from her trembling though she tried her best to cease her shaking. The unexpected murder of her father at the hands of an assassin was agonizingly fresh, only occurring two days prior. The attacker was still on the run, evading capture by the Jedi. It was all she could do to not allow the tears that had been present in her eyes since hearing the news to spill over.

She had to stay strong. For her father, for her family, for her kingdom.

"I present Rey Kenobi, by the grace of God, Countess of Scipio, Duchess of Stewjon, and Queen of Illenium."

With the words of the herald she straightened her back and entered her father's council chamber not as a frightened girl but as a determined woman.

As a queen.


End file.
